20140805013159A

On August 05, 2014, approximately 15:10 eastern daylight time, a Cessna CE-177 cardinal aircraft, N468LE, impacted terrain after departing runway 18 at Manistee blacker airport (kmbl) Manistee, Michigan. The certified flight instructor pilot and his student received minor injuries. Two rear seat passengers received minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for evaluation. The aircraft was registered to a private individual and was destroyed. The accident instructor pilot was operating the aircraft under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident location. The flight originated without a flight plan from Manistee blacker airport (kmbl) Manistee, Michigan about 15:10 eastern daylight time and was destined for charlotte beach airport (fpk) charlotte, Michigan.

The weather observation station at Manistee blacker airport (kmbl) Manistee, Michigan was inoperative at the time of the accident. The weather observation at the mason county airport, ludington Michigan, located about 20 miles south of the accident site, reported the following conditions at 14:55 eastern daylight time: wind 300 degrees at 09 knots, 15 visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet AGL, scattered clouds at 4,500 feet AGL, broken clouds at 6,000 feet AGL temperature 24 degrees celsius (c), dew point 16 degrees c, altimeter setting 30.07.

The instructor pilot stated that he was completing a complex check out for the private pilot in the left seat. The AWOS was inoperative at the airport during the time of the accident and the instructor pilot stated that he referred to the wind sock that was on the north west corner of the field. According to both pilots the winds appeared to be light and variable so they elected to do a short field takeoff from runway 18. The runway length was 2721 feet and the pilots operating handbook (POH) showed that the aircraft, at maximum gross weight, should clear a 50 foot obstacle in approximately 1850 feet, assuming no wind and a hard surface, dry runway. The private pilot in the left seat and the instructor pilot in the right seat performed the before takeoff checklist using the challenge and response method. The instructor pilot stated that he called for flaps 20° and the private pilot set them to 20°. The instructor pilot stated that he realized his mistake in calling for flaps 20° and then called for flaps 10° but failed to confirm the change had been accomplished. He stated this several times during the initial interview but recants this in his written statement and said he noticed this and changed the flap setting. The takeoff was initiated and the private pilot called rotate at 66 knots as he lifted off with 1000 feet remaining. At approximately 10 feet AGL the aircraft settled back to the runway. The takeoff was continued and the instructor pilot never took control of the aircraft as they departed the runway and continued through 300 feet of grass and off a 50 foot hill launching the aircraft over the 10 foot airport perimeter fence into the trees.

On-site wreckage examination revealed that the flaps and the flap handle were both set to 20°, the flap indicator showed 10°. The flap indicator appeared to be jammed due to structural damage incurred during the accident. The fuel lines were broken and the fuel tanks were drained but both the pilot and the instructor pilot state that they had 25 gallons of fuel on board for the departure from Manistee blacker airport (mbl). The aircraft contained approximately 60 pounds of baggage including installed camera equipment and power supply. This equipment along with approximately 19.3 pounds of ?negligible weight change? Aircraft modifications amounts to 54.3 pounds more than the instructor pilot calculated, placing the aircraft at approximately 2772 pounds with a maximum gross weight of 2800 pounds.